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TMHS 240: Happiness Vs. Pleasure And The Hacking Of The American Mind – With Dr. Robert Lustig

Do you remember the scene in the movie The Matrix where the main character Neo wakes up from his incubated sleep covered in pink goo? It wasn’t the goo that was alarming (strangely enough) it was the fact that he woke up to a very different reality than the one he believed in. He thought that his decisions were his own, he thought that he was free to choose his beliefs and path in life, and he thought that he was free. The truth was that it was all an illusion, and his mind had been hacked by those who saw fit to use him. But hey… that’s just an interesting movie plot isn’t it? Nothing like that could ever happen in real life… right?

Today you’re going to hear from neuroendocrinologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Robert Lustig about what he refers to as The Hacking of the American Mind. Now, this hacking isn’t reserved solely for Americans, it’s a phenomenon that’s shared amongst all of the developed nations in the world, and rapidly percolating its way into the undeveloped world as well. Dr. Lustig makes the case that many of the things we’ve accepted as normal are anything but. For example, you may think that you have the freewill to choose the food that you eat, the entertainment you consume, and the beliefs you uphold, but there’s a bigger story behind the scenes. And this story has a lot to do with battle between pleasure and happiness.

Now, I used the word battle because, as you’ll discover today, these two things are not synonymous, and they most definitely lead to different outcomes in our lives. In many ways, this is the best time to be alive. Yet, with the changing landscape comes new problems and new challenges to overcome. The faster we become aware of them, the faster we can hop out of the matrix and live life doing all of the cool stuff that we were really born to do. So, with that I’d like to introduce you to the incredible Dr. Robert Lustig!

In this episode you’ll discover:

What the “internet black hole” is.

What vanishing calorie density means.

Why Dr. Lustig decided to become a neuroendocrinologist.

The crucial differences between pleasure and happiness.

How addiction happens in the brain.

The science behind why it’s easier than ever to be unhappy today.

Why the stress hormone cortisol is not the bad guy it’s been made out to be.

How different parts of the brain are influenced by stress.

Why addiction and depression are connected.

How the American mind is being hacked.

The difference between marketing and propaganda (this is important!).

The 4 C’s for optimizing health and happiness.

One key element that social media lacks compared to face to face interaction.

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Model Health Show. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on iTunes by clicking on the link below. It will help us to keep delivering life-changing information for you every week!

Shawn Stevenson is a bestselling author and creator of The Model Health Show, featured as the #1 Health podcast on iTunes with millions of listener downloads each year. A graduate of The University of Missouri - St. Louis, Shawn studied business, biology, and kinesiology, and went on to be the founder of Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a company that provides wellness services for individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn has been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, Men's Health magazine, ESPN, FOX News, and many other major media outlets. He is also a frequent keynote speaker for numerous organizations, universities, and conferences. Click here to learn more about Shawn